Dwight Yorke heads Newcastle's list of summer transfer targets, but Manchester United will hold out for #8 million.

Newcastle are hopeful of luring the striker to Tyneside - he regularly enjoys the city's nightlife - but face competition from both Chelsea and Aston Villa.

A summer transfer kitty of around #15 million will be made available to Bobby Robson and, with many fans showing more reluctance than ever to renew season tickets, a top-class striker remains the No 1 priority.

Alan Shearer's future following knee surgery remains clouded in doubt; injury-prone Carl Cort is - like Shola Ameobi - still learning his trade while Kevin Gallacher is on his way out of St James's Park.

Plus, there were doubts raised last night over another target.

Sources close to Leeds star Michael Bridges revealed the Whitley Bay-born striker - out with an Achilles tendon injury for most of last season - could miss a large part of the next campaign with a knee injury.

That leaves Yorke in pole position, and in spite of Man United's ever-expanding empire, a season of relative failure - most notably in the Champions League - has wiped millions off the club's share price.

As a result, Old Trafford chiefs have told Alex Ferguson that, having rubber stamped the record #19 million deal for Ruud Van Nistelrooy, any further summer buys will have to be financed by money raised from player sales.

United have targeted Arsenal's #20 million-rated French midfielder Patrick Viera and his international team-mate Lilian Thuram - who could be prised away from Parma for around #15 million.

The likeliest source of income to balance the books appears to be Yorke, who has had a series of recent run-ins with Ferguson.

The pair have fallen out over the player's all-too public social life - Yorke is known to be a huge fan of Newcastle's popular quayside bars.

And Ferguson's decision to end his feud with the Old Trafford hierarchy and see out the last year of his contract appears to signal the writing on the wall for Yorke.

The Trinidad and Tobago star was an instant hit at Old Trafford following his #12.6 million move from Aston Villa three years ago. He finished his first two seasons as the club's leading goalscorer.

But having fallen out of favour with Ferguson this year, Yorke has figured in just two thirds of United's 57 competitive matches, scoring just 11 goals.

While Teddy Sheringham's return to Spurs improves Yorke's first-team opportunities, the impending arrival of Van Nistelrooy will have the opposite effect.

And that is enough for Yorke to call time on his trophy-laden United career as - at 29 - he is ready to put a regular place in the starting line-up above further silverware.